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In the year 1963, the first WWE Champion was crowned in the form of Buddy Rogers and since then legendary names like 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, John Cena, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels have all had their fair share of success with the WWE Championship.
While these aforementioned names have already established their place in the history books as some of the significant names to have stepped foot in the wrestling world, there is also a lot more to the list of Superstars who deserved to win the title but never did.
A world champion is recognized by a Superstar's in-ring skills, the one with the best promo skills, as well as, someone who is no stranger to carrying himself with a confident demeanor even without a world title wrapped around his waist or shoulder.
Throughout the years, we've come across several Superstars as such who have had the pleasure of holding the prestigious WWE Intercontinental Championship, a title which is generally known as the stepping stone to stardom. However, for some of the names on this list, that wasn't the case to be.
With that being said, in this list, we will take a look at 5 former WWE Superstars who had the prestige of holding the Intercontinental Championship but missed out on a world title reign in the WWE.
#5 Ricky Steamboat
It has been well over two decades since Ricky Steamboat retired from professional wrestling and from in-ring competition. However, during the prime stages of his career, 'The Dragon' was arguably one of the most versatile wrestlers to have graced his presence inside the squared circle.
Steamboat's iconic WrestleMania 3 match against Randy Savage is still regarded as one of the best bouts witnessed at 'The Grandest Stage of Them All'. Despite being one of the few wrestlers to have wrestled most of his career as a babyface, Steamboat was never booked to win the WWF CHampionship in his career.
'The Dragon' has held the WWE Intercontinental Championship on just one occasion, however, his influence in the pro wrestling world saw him get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2009.
#4 Scott Hall
During his time in both WWE and WCW, Scott Hall was arguably one of the finest heels in the business. After all, he was called 'The Bad Guy' for a reason. But, despite enjoying a great career in two of the finest promotions back in the day, Hall never had the privilege of enjoying a world title reign in his wrestling career.
In his tenure with WWE, Hall was known as Razor Ramon and competed in some of the most memorable matches and was part of some great mid-card feuds. So much so, Hall became a four-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and was considered as one of the best to have held the prestigious title.
However, once he jumped ship to WCW, Hall found himself in the main event storylines of the promotion and was a vital part of the New World Order, one of the OGs of the group in specific.
But, in a promotion which already had the likes of Hulk Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page, and Goldberg, you wouldn't expect Scott Hall to have a run with the world title, would you? And that exactly was the case for someone as talented as 'The Bad Guy', who I feel got completely overshadowed in WCW and was never propelled to his maximum potential.
#3 Roddy Piper
While he was in his prime in the world of professional wrestling, Roddy Piper was quite possibly the most hated heel on the planet and was known for some of the best character work we had ever seen.
Piper was usually well known for catching the audience's attention with his heel antics and was equally brilliant while competing in the ring, as well. However, much like the other names mentioned in this list, Piper also didn't enjoy a world title reign despite being a vital part of the WWE roster in the early 90s.
Oozing with charisma, Piper along with Ricky Steamboat and a few other legends have always been the main focus for WWE's greatest talents who have not won the company's world title. Sure, 'The Hot Rod' himself didn't care much for accolades but every once in a while, I'm pretty sure we all question WWE's decision to not put a world title on someone as talented as Piper.
In July of 2015, Piper sadly passed away, however, 'Hot Rod' sure did leave us with a lot of amazing memories and matches and also holds his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
#2 Curt Hennig
Throughout the years, the WWE Universe has witnessed some of the finest technical wrestlers to have graced the squared circle and if you're currently looking for some good ol' technical wrestling, then look no further than the likes of Daniel Bryan, Drew Gulak, and Cesaro.
However, if there's one man who stood head and shoulders above the rest, then it certainly has to be 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig. The former two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion has always been a fan favorite and pretty much everything he did was perfect. I mean, even if it's throwing a towel with perfection!
Hennig was always considered as one of the hardest working Superstars to grace the business and competed in some of the finest matches in WWF history. However, despite winning world titles for promotions such as AWA and WWC, 'Mr. Perfect' missed out on the big one.
To this day, Hennig's SummerSlam '91 bout against Bret Hart is widely regarded as one of the best Intercontinental Championship matches in WWE history, and that only makes you wonder what the former could've done as a world champion.
Honorable Mention: Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is another former WWE Superstar who many felt should've won the company's major title while he was in his prime with The Nexus. Barrett broke into the scene along with his faction of NXT Season 1 rookies and made quite the name for himself right from the get-go.
However, after a feud against John Cena and with CM Punk taking over the leadership reigns of the Nexus, the Brit fell down the pecking order and had to undergo several gimmick changes. Barrett did enjoy five separate reigns as the WWE Intercontinental Champion but never got his hands on the big one.
#1 Cody Rhodes
Is there a bigger name in modern WWE history who was as over as Cody Rhodes and was widely regarded as world champion material by the WWE Universe? I barely think so!
Cody Rhodes' WWE tenure was full of ups and downs and was filled with great memories. Starting out in the developmental scene, Cody was quickly taken under the wing of Randy Orton as 'The Viper' formed the Legacy along with Ted DiBiase Jr.
Cody, for one, also had the opportunity to enjoy multiple notable feuds against the likes of D-Generation X and John Cena in the early stages of his career.
But, fast forward to a few years down the road, Cody much like Barrett, also underwent several gimmick changes but the fun part is, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion pretty much nailed every character he was in and offered a lot to WWE TV.
With the amount of hard work Cody had put in, the two-time IC Champ sure deserved to have at least one formidable run with the World Championship but that wasn't the case to be. Cody eventually departed from the company a few years later and is currently thriving with All Elite Wrestling.
